Fewer gift returns than expected at area stores

LITTLE ROCK, AR - The National Retail Federation expects shoppers will return more than $46-billion worth of holiday gifts this Christmas season. Given the high expectations, some Arkansas retailers are surprised. So far, they've had fewer returns than they planned for.

"There you go," said a cashier at a Little Rock Target. She handed a little girl named Olivia her refund from a return. "Thank you so much. Come back and see us."

Olivia's dad then told her, "now you can use that to go pick something else out." Thing is, Olivia was the exception to the rule at Target on Monday.

Target keeps all of their returns behind the customer service counter. Monday, the baskets were light.

"Oh I was expecting it to be like up here for each of the baskets," said Target Employee Tamica Johnson while holding her hand at about eye-level. Johnson says the lack of returns caught her and the staff at Target off-guard.

"A line of people coming in for returns or exchanges," she said. "That's what we expected, that's what we planned for, but unfortunately it just hasn't been that way today."

Maybe people just did a good job buying gifts this Christmas, who knows? Doesn't matter to Olivia. She perused the aisles for a little bit and settled on a replacement gift. It means she's leaving happy and so is dad -- for a different reason.

"Didn't take very long so we're happy with that," said dad as they walked out of the store. Afterall, Olivia needs all the time she can get to play with that new game.